Douglas Degges
what not to do when you see a mountain lion is a selection of recent paintings all made over the last year that are culled from Douglas Degges’ body of work titled a squirrel from memory. Since Fall 2019, Degges has been painting and drawing from cell phone photos supplied to him by his immediate family in an ongoing group text. His mom, dad, and brother, in keeping him up to date with what is going on in their lives, share the things they do and see near his childhood home in Louisiana. These images serve as an image bank from which he abstracts elements for a squirrel from memory, a visually and materially wide-ranging body of work. This project explores conceptions of home and the pressure to possess a singular voice or vision within a creative practice.
Installation photography: Mike Jensen
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Douglas Degges (b. Shreveport, LA) is an artist and educator currently based in Mansfield Center, CT where he is an Assistant Professor of Art in Painting and Drawing at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, CT. Degges received his MFA from the University of Iowa and a BA in Studio Art from Rhodes College in Memphis, TN. His work has been exhibited in various group and solo exhibitions throughout the United States and abroad. Most recently his work was exhibited at Proyecto T in Mexico City, Mexico, Side Room Gallery in Brooklyn, NY, the PrattMWP Gallery at Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute in Utica, NY, Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design in Milwaukee, WI, Cleaner Gallery + Projects in Chicago, IL, Stove Works in Chattanooga, TN, URSA Gallery in Bridgeport, CT, and the Meadows Museum of Art at Centenary College in Shreveport, LA. His work has been supported by several artist residencies including the Josef & Anni Albers Foundation, Stove Works, the Vermont Studio Center, and the Millay Colony.